British diplomatic faux pas sets fire in Greece-UK relations

Athens and London are facing an unexpected diplomatic crisis after UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancelled a last-minute meeting with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis over the latter’s comments about the need to return Elgin Marbles – currently in the British Museum – to Greece.

Greek political parties united and condemned Sunak’s decision, describing it as an insult and serious diplomatic faux pas, while the local press reported that the move may be related to an ongoing “bazaar” over a Turkish request to purchase Eurofighters.

The Greek-British row over the “Elgin Marbles” has been a long-standing open wound in the relations between the two countries.

In 1801-1804, when Greece was under the Ottoman Empire’s rule, Lord Elgin, an ambassador of the UK in Istanbul, ordered his agents to remove saws and numerous sculptures from the Parthenon, causing considerable damage.

In 1806, the sculptures were transferred to Britain, and ten years later, the English government purchased them from Elgin. Since then, they have been in the British Museum.

The Greeks say it was “theft” and they must be returned to where they belong, in Athens. For their part, the Brits claim that Elgin’s move was with the permission of the Ottoman Empire, which was ruling Athens at the time.

Several diplomatic efforts have been made since then, but all failed to find a compromise. Years later, London rejected a UNESCO mediation and a Greek proposal to “lend” the sculptures for 100 years ahead of the 2004 Greek Olympic Games.

However, several analysts criticised the request to borrow the marbles, saying that would diplomatically mean that Athens would indirectly accept the British ownership.

Many also presented the Brexit negotiations as a chance for Greeks to pressure London to return the marbles considering that the greenlight of all 27 EU member states was needed. However, Athens did not use this “weapon”.

For its part, the EU has kept its distance from the matter.

An interview which disturbed Sunak

The Greek premier was supposed to meet Sunak on Tuesday, but the British leader cancelled it late last night.

According to press reports in both countries, the reason was an interview of Mitsotakis to BBC, in which he insisted that the marbles should be repatriated.

“If I told you [to] cut the Mona Lisa in half […] do you think your viewers would appreciate the beauty of the painting?” Mitsotakis said that returning the Elgin Marbles to Greece is about “reunification” not “ownership”.

Officially, the British government just said Sunak was unavailable and proposed a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, a proposal rejected by Athens.

“The UK-Greece relationship is hugely important. From our work together in NATO to tackling shared challenges like illegal migration, to joint efforts to resolve the crisis in the Middle East and war in Ukraine,” a British government spokesperson said.

Later, British government sources explained that the British Museum was the right place for the marble, insisting Sunak’s position was firm.

Mitsotakis reacted strongly to the cancellation, expressing his “dismay”.

“Greece’s positions on the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures are well known. I was hoping to have the opportunity to discuss them with my British counterpart as well, along with the major challenges of the international moment: Gaza, Ukraine, Climate crisis, migration”, Mitsotakis posted on Facebook.

“Anyone who believes in the correctness and justice of their positions is never afraid of opposing arguments”, he added.

Greek government sources quoted by the local press stated that Sunak treated with contempt an elected leader of a democratic country “as opposed to himself who was in effect an appointed prime minister”.

“This is a mistake that sooner or later Sunak will have to face”, commented a government source from Athens.

Similarly, Greek leftist opposition leader Stefanos Kasselakis described Sunak’s move as “unacceptable” and stressed that the Elgin Marbles case goes beyond any party confrontations.

The reasons behind the escalation

According to the FT, a reason behind Sunak’s behaviour is that Mitsotakis preferred to meet the first opposition Labour Party leader, Kthe discussion over Turkey’s stance toward Sweden’s NATO membership closely with Starmer, who is currently leading the polls.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “If the prime minister isn’t able to meet with a European ally with whom Britain has important economic ties, this is further proof he can’t provide the serious economic leadership our country requires. Keir Starmer’s Labour party stands ready.”

The Labour Party currently leads the polls with 44%, followed by Sunak’s Conservatives with 21-24%.

Analysts in Athens also commented that Sunak’s reaction could be related to an ongoing “bazaar” between London and Ankara following Turkey’s request to purchase combat aircraft “Eurofighters”.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is currently trying to find ways to modernise his country’s defence but faces troubles.

Washington has been rejecting a request from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for modernising Ankara’s F-16 fleet for months.

Erdoğan then turned to Germany and asked for Eurofighters. But it seems that Berlin is not willing to give its green light. A meeting between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Erdoğan did not produce any result on the matter.

Press reports suggest that the UK and Spain (co-producer countries of Eurofighters) are putting pressure on Berlin to consent, otherwise the purchase will not be possible.

(Sarantis Michalopoulos | Euractiv.com)

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